Aguilas de Zulia
THE WEEK IN REVIEW: The Aguilas, losers of their last four, went 1-5 this week and fell below .500 (15-18) for the first time this season.

WHO'S HOT: 2B Alberto Callaspo (Diamondbacks) is batting .476 (10-for-21) with a homer, three RBIs and three runs scored over his last five games. ... 3B Yurendell de Caster (Pirates) has hit safely in eight of his last nine games for a .361 batting average with a homer and five RBIs. He is tied for second in the league with five homers.

WHO'S NOT: 1B Randy Ruiz (Giants) has five hits in his last 32 at-bats (.156). ... Fellow Giants prospect C Guillermo Rodriguez is in a 6-for-30 (.200) funk.

NEWS AND NOTES: P Heath Totten is among the top 10 in wins (three) and ERA (3.04). ... Zulia pitchers are eighth in hits allowed (323) and ERA (4.48).

Bravos de Margarita
THE WEEK IN REVIEW: The Bravos won their last two to complete a 3-2 week and are 15-19.

WHO'S HOT: OF Frank Diaz (Nationals) batted .500 (9-for-18) with five runs scored. ... P Jesus Silva (Marlins) won both his starts, allowing seven hits and a walk over 13 scoreless frames. He leads the league with five wins and is second with a 1.45 ERA. ... 2B William Bergolla (Giants) hit .368 (14-for-38) with eight runs scored and five RBIs in his last 10 games. ... Rene Reyes has hit safely in seven of his last 10 games with a homer, seven RBIs and six runs scored.

WHO'S NOT: C J.C. Boscan (Reds) is 7-for-34 (.206) since Nov. 3. ... SS Ray Olmedo (Blue Jays) has seven hits in his last 33 at-bats (.212).

NEWS AND NOTES: Margarita pitchers are first in shutouts (four), second in ERA (2.85), third in homers allowed (15) and fourth in total strikeouts (181). ... The offense leads the league in hits (314) and batting (.278).

Cardenales de Lara
THE WEEK IN REVIEW: The Cardenales won four of six games to improve to 18-13 and climb into second place.

WHO'S HOT: P Scott Patterson (Yankees) extended his scoreless streak to 14 2/3 innings while limiting hitters to a .180 batting average. ... P Cesar Jimenez (Mariners) extended his scoreless streak to 11 2/3 innings. ... Fellow Mariners farmhands Mike Gallo and Sean White combined for a 2-0 record and yielded one run on eight hits and two walks over 13 1/3 frames. ... OF Luis Ugueto is batting .345 with a pair of home runs, six RBIs and six runs scored in his last eight games.

WHO'S NOT: 2B Hernan Iribarren (Brewers) is in a 5-for-25 (.200) slump. ... OF Robert Perez has five hits and three RBIs in his last 38 at-bats (.138).

NEWS AND NOTES: Jimenez is tied for second with four wins. ... Despite the slump, Perez is second with 25 RBIs. ... Patterson has yet to issue a walk but has hit one batter. ... Lara's offense is seventh in batting average (.244), but leads the league in homers (23).

Caribes de Anzoategui
THE WEEK IN REVIEW: The first-place Caribes went 4-3 and maintained their three-game lead with a 22-11 record.

WHO'S HOT: C Eliezer Alfonzo (Giants) hit .391 (9-for-23) with three homers, six runs scored and five RBIs in seven contests. He hit two homers in a 6-3 win over La Guaira on Nov. 14. ... IF Rico Washington (Cardinals) smacked three homers and collected five RBIs in five games and leads the league with 27 RBIs. ... OF Jody Gerut leads the league with a .393 batting average, 46 hits, 33 runs scored, a .489 on-base percentage, a .607 slugging percentage and is fifth with 20 RBIs. ... RHP Mike Smith (Cardinals) won both his starts, striking out 15 batters over 14 shutout innings.

WHO'S NOT: IF Javier Brito went 0-for-7 in three games and is batting .203. ... IF Luis Gonzalez went 3-for-19 in six games and is hitting .219 over 18 contests.

NEWS AND NOTES: The Caribes are second in the league in hitting with a .272 average and fifth in pitching with a 3.88 ERA.

Leones del Caracas
THE WEEK IN REVIEW: The Leones dropped four of five games and sit in last place with an 11-20 record.

WHO'S HOT: C Carlos Maldonado hit .565 (11-for-19) in five games. ... IF Jose Castillo (Pirates) hit .467 (8-for-15) with eight RBIs in four games, including a five-RBI performance in an 8-3 win over Lara on Nov. 18. ... IF Marco Scutaro (Blue Jays) hit .389 (7-for-18) with four RBIs and five runs scored in five games. ... Dodgers farmhand Giuseppe Norrito (2-2, 2.90 ERA) ranks fifth in the league in ERA.

WHO'S NOT: IF Mario Lisson (Royals) hit .118 (2-for-17) in five games to drop his batting average to .231, but leads the league with seven homers.

NEWS AND NOTES: The Leones rank sixth in hitting with a .245 average and seventh in pitching with a 4.36 ERA.

Navegantes del Magallanes
THE WEEK IN REVIEW: The Navegantes have won four straight and five of six to climb into fourth place at 14-15.

WHO'S HOT: 2B Tomas Perez (White Sox) is batting .344 (11-for-32) with four runs scored and is riding a nine-game hitting streak. ... Former Major Leaguers Richard Hidalgo and Edgardo Alfonzo combined to hit .462 (18-for-39) with five homers, 15 RBIs and 11 runs scored. ... P Yusmeiro Petit (Diamondbacks) went 2-0 in his first two starts, surrendering two runs on six hits with a walk and 15 strikeouts in 11 innings.

WHO'S NOT: OF Luke Scott (Astros) has just eight hits in 37 at-bats over his last 10 games. ... C Gustavo Molina (Orioles) is mired in a 5-for-24 (.208) funk.

NEWS AND NOTES: Perez (.364) and Hidalgo (.353) are third and fourth in hitting. ... The Magallanes offense is third in batting (.268) and homers (20) and second in walks (115). ... Ivan Maldonado is tied for third with eight saves.

Tiburones de La Guaira
THE WEEK IN REVIEW: The Tiburones lost five straight to drop below the .500 mark with a 14-16 record and fall into fourth place, 6 1/2 games back.

WHO'S HOT: IF Chris Carter (Red Sox) hit .353 (6-for-17) in five games and ranks second in the league with a .388 average. He also ranks third with 22 RBIs and fourth with a .560 slugging percentage. ... OF Gregor Blanco (Braves) is 10th in the league with a .310 average and fourth with 22 runs scored. ... RHP Jeff Bennett (3-1) ranks first in the league in ERA (1.25) after tossing six shutout innings on Nov. 17.

WHO'S NOT: OF Ron Acuna is hitting .152 over his last 10 games to drop his batting average to .245. ... C Alvin Colina (Reds) is hitting .083 (2-for-24) over his last nine contests.

NEWS AND NOTES: The Tiburones are eighth with a .242 average and rank third in pitching with a 3.51 ERA. ... Orioles farmhand Richard Salazar (4-1, 2.84) is tied for second in wins.

Tigres de Aragua
THE WEEK IN REVIEW: The Tigres went 5-2 and took three of four games from the first-place Caribes, putting them in third place and four games back with an 18-15 mark.

WHO'S HOT: IF Ronny Cedeno (Cubs) hit .364 (8-for-22) with five walks in six contests, raising his season average to .317, seventh best in the league. He also ranks third with nine doubles. ... RHP Oswaldo Sosa (Twins) picked up two relief wins, allowing one run over four innings in three appearances. ... RHP Francisco Butto nailed down three saves in three days and has recorded a save in five straight outings.

WHO'S NOT: IF Mike Aviles (Royals) went 2-for-14 with five strikeouts in five games. ... OF Alex Romero (Diamondbacks) went 2-for-16 in six games to drop his average to .118.

NEWS AND NOTES: The Tigres lead the league in pitching with a 2.64 ERA, and rank fifth in hitting with a .262 average. ... Horacio Estrada (1-1, 2.12) and Twins prospect Brian Bass (3-2, 2.77) rank third and fourth in ERA and Astros farmhand Kyle Middleton (2-0, 3.48) is ninth.